


Glamping

by Musichick2004



Series: Old and New [12]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, Camping, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Talking, glamping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 12:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7845835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musichick2004/pseuds/Musichick2004
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jethro and Tony are having a rough time, so Jethro surprises Tony with a camping trip. Glamping, if you will.</p><p>Special thanks to cutsycat who inspired this work with a plot bunny who will arrive in ch 2!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cutsycat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/gifts).



Jethro knew things weren’t good. This was the same feeling he got at a certain point with all three of his divorces. Sometimes it took just a few months after the honeymoon, sometimes it was just a few weeks before being whacked in the head with a golf club, but this time it was before they’d even set a date for the wedding. Tony was sleeping at the office more than occasionally, he’d been sleeping in the basement often enough that he had a cot and pillow down there. Katherine was criticizing his extended absences as he left on more and more ‘consulting’ jobs for the DOD, the FBI, Homeland Security, even doing some digging for JAG once. Abby was whining and poking at Tony for not dealing with their issues either, and the increased pressure on the girls was wearing their patience thin, to the point that they were fighting more often too.

Jethro denied to himself that things had gone this far south. He still loved Tony, and when things were good, when they were both home, when they made love, all was well with the world. It was just a rough patch, they’d get through it. But then Katherine tearfully threatened to move out.

“You’re pushing him away, Jethro. He’s not blameless, but you’re being a royal bastard lately. I don’t begrudge you working, but you promised him—you promised US—that you’d be home more. A lot more. You retired so you could take care of Anna, and now you’re gone more often than you’re home.”

Jethro sighed. She was right, but he had to defend himself. “Katherine, come on. If I can stop some kid from getting killed, I have to try, you know that.”

“Bullshit, Jethro. You’re not God. They ask you because they know you won’t say no. There are a lot of very smart, very dedicated, very strong people they could call, but you’re easy. You choose feeding your ego and your God complex over your family.” The harsh words stung Jethro more than a slap to the face. Or a golf club to the head, considering he’d had almost the exact same speech delivered to him by three other women. “Abby thinks this is more on Tony, I think it’s more on you, and YOUR dysfunctional issues are pushing us apart too, and I won’t let that happen.” Her head dropped and she chewed on her lip, “we’re looking at apartments.”

“You’re WHAT?!” Jethro roared, “We agreed to stay here! I built on to this house for us!”

Katherine looked back and met his eyes again, “yes. And we’ll take out a personal loan to pay off half of your home equity loan.” She came closer to him, “One month. If things don’t start looking better in a month, we’re out. We can figure out custody from there. I don’t want to do this, you know that, but I can’t let our daughter be raised in a home where everyone is fighting all the time. And your fighting is leading to us fighting. It’s not healthy.” She poked Jethro between the eyes, “fix it, you stubborn ass.”

Jethro watched her leave and closed his eyes. She was right. Of course she was right. There were times he and Tony wouldn’t say more than two words to each other in a week. He’d fly to North Dakota or Florida or Maine for a consult, then Tony would be wrapped up in a case for days when he got back. He should go upstairs and make Tony play hookey for the day. Maybe some hot sex would make up for some of it. He started to warm to the idea, until he heard Tony barreling down the stairs, phone in hand. He grabbed the travel mug from the cabinet behind Jethro and poured himself a cup with an obscene amount of hazelnut creamer. “Got a call, gotta run.” He kissed Jethro’s cheek and whirled out of the room, grabbing the go bag by the door.

The wind was practically knocked out of him. This was how his ex-wives all felt, toward the end, when he left for work, wasn’t it? When they realized his thoughts were more on the job than on them. He’d pushed Tony away to the point that they hardly passed in the night. Tony was even growing more uncomfortable around Anna. Anna, who was walking now, learning small words, signing more than talking, and currently playing at the babysitter’s house because Jethro had a debrief in an hour with Homeland Security. It WAS like he was full time working again. He hadn’t made a large piece of furniture in a long time, and he hadn’t been home for Anna for more than a day at a time in weeks. Maybe even months.

One month.

He dialed the phone. “Tom?”

“ _Yeah, Gibbs, what’s up?”_

“I’m sending my report to your email. I won’t be at the debrief today.”

He heard the man sigh, “ _YOU, sending an email?”_

“I’m not as inept as you think I am, Tom. It’s just a debrief. If you need me, call.” He hung up his phone and went to the computer. He was going to be alone today, so after he sent the report, he could do some digging.

*****

“Yes my dear lady?” Abby answered her phone to see Katherine’s face fill the screen.

“ _Lady? Where?”_ Katherine glanced over her shoulder and Abby rolled her eyes. “ _OK, anyway, aside from seeing your beautiful face, I was calling because we’re booted from the house tonight. Jethro just sent me a reservation for a b &b that sounds lovely_.”

“oooh, we’re going out on a school night? How naughty!” Abby grinned.

“ _Well, I MAY have lit a fire under Jethro’s ass. As much as they love each other, they’re crashing and burning, and they’re both too stubborn to see it.”_ Katherine blushed.

“Kat! I thought we agreed we were gonna stay out of it! You tell me all the time how much trouble I get into by sticking my nose into other people’s business!” Abby was mad now. She’d wanted to tell Tony off for weeks, but Katherine said it would be for the best to let it run its course. That it wasn’t THEIR problem. That it was just a rough patch they’d work through because they were still head over heels for each other.

“ _I know, babe. I just…”_ Katherine sighed, _“I couldn’t do it anymore. I’d rather hear them having red hot monkey sex on the couch we all share than see them practically ignore each other. Even fighting is better, at least they’re trying. I…I threatened to move out._ ”

“What?!” Abby pushed her chair back away from her desk and slid across the floor in a huff.

“ _Abby? Abs? Babe? Come on! It slipped out! We’ve talked about it, you know we have. We're not perfect, but we're getting sucked in and it's hurting us too.”_

Abby crossed her arms and ignored the phone on her desk.

“ _I don’t want to. I love our little family. Or not so little. But it’s toxic, and you know it. Especially if you want…_ ” Katherine stopped herself. She wouldn’t use that against her, not in a million years. She pulled back, _“I said we’d decide in a month. They’ve got to make an effort, Abs. I think Jethro just needed to be smacked in the face with it.”_

Abby slowly pedaled her chair back toward her desk, and saw Katherine’s face melt at the tears and smeared eyeliner. “I love our house.” She sniffled.

_“I know hon. I know. So do I. And I’m really, really hoping they work on it. But if they won’t step up, we have to do something. We have to put us first, ok? For Anna. And if we decide…”_ She let that hang in the air.

Abby nodded knowingly, “I know. Us grownups can deal, but she can’t. She shouldn’t have to.” After a pause, her eyes went wide, “what about Kali?! If we move, we’d have to—“

Katherine chuckled, “ _Yes, yes, I know. Find somewhere that allows cats. Jethro is fond of her, even though he denies it, but I think you might win in that fight. We can do this, OK? No matter what.”_

Abby nodded, “I love you. Even if you TOTALLY went behind my back on this.”

Katherine frowned and looked down at her desk, _“I love you too…probably MORE because you still love me even though I definitely snapped this morning and unintentionally went behind your back on this. I’m sorry babe.”_

“I’ll accept your apology…if you make it up to me at this b&b tonight.” Abby winked and licked her bottom lip.

Katherine smirked, _“challenge accepted. I’m leaving early to pick up some stuff, text me what you want, then we’ll meet there tonight.”_

*****

“DiNozzo!” Vance shouted over the railing, “My office.” He walked away, not checking to see if his team lead was following. A few seconds later, his door opened.

“You’re not on call he rest of the week, Balboa’s switching for the same days next week.”

“Uh, OK, why?” Tony was confused.

“And you’re off tomorrow. I sent McGee the email already, he’s in charge. Finish your paperwork today, and have a good weekend.” Vance spun the toothpick in his mouth and motioned for him to leave. They’d cleared the case incredibly quickly this morning, thankfully, and already had the thief in custody.

“What is this, some kind of suspension with pay? Am I benched?” Tony was fuming, he’d RAISED the close rate in the past two months, what the hell was going on?

Vance sighed, “look, as badass as you think you are, I’m more intimidated by your soon-to-be husband, since he’s not regulated by some of the employment rules that you are. So ask him. But finish your reports first, I’m not letting you off early on top of it.”

Tony snarled and left the room, stomping down the stairs. Jethro. Of course. It was just like him to swoop in and take over what Tony was accomplishing. He probably wanted to get lucky and figured it’d be easier if he buttered him up, so he went over his head. Instead of being flattered, Tony was pissed. He was sick of being ordered around, still, by the man who’d spent almost 2 decades head slapping him and criticizing his reports. He fingered the bare spot on his left ring finger. When had he taken off his ring? Shit. A moment of panic flashed through him until he realized it was sitting on his desk. When had he gotten into the habit of taking it off at work? Did Jethro take his off? When had Tony last noticed? He sat at his desk and dropped his head into his hands. He knew they’d been off lately, but he didn’t realize just how bad things were. How he was getting used to sleeping alone again. He was getting used to jerking off in the shower to mental images of playboy bunnies instead of sharing the large glass enclosure with his fiancée. He was getting used to waking up and hopping out of bed for a run instead of spending five extra minutes holding his lover. They hadn’t discussed wedding dates in…Tony couldn’t remember the last time they’d talked about it.

*****

Katherine had gone, with a half-apology, half-shovel talk speech. Anna was spending the night with the Palmers, and the reservations for the next 3 days had been made. Jethro only hoped this would be a good jump start to fixing things between them. He’d also written the alphabet soup and told them he’d schedule one consult a month. He’d turn off his second phone, the one they used to contact him, after that until the first of the next month. He couldn’t stop helping, and he knew he’d be tempted to help if they COULD get a hold of him, so that was his line in the sand. And if they contacted his personal phone or email, he’d never work with that agency again. He looked at the clock and saw that Tony was usually home within the next 15 or 20 minutes, so he set the music (a little Frank Sinatra—Tony loved the rat pack), lit the candles, and set the oven on warm. He straightened his tie and hoped his contrition was obvious. He hated saying the words “I’m sorry,” but he readied himself to repeat them several times this weekend.

Tony sat at his desk. He’d sent McGee, Carolli, and Bishop home at their usual time, and he was done with his work quickly thereafter. But he didn’t want to go home. He stared at the ring in his hand and clenched his jaw. Jethro wanted to kiss and make up, so he manipulated everyone around him into some kind of weekend outing. He’d taken all of the manipulations for so many years, and now it weighed on him. He wanted to make everything better. He did. He wanted to give his lover the benefit of the doubt and run home to what he was sure would be some grand gesture of love and sadness. But part of him felt betrayed and put down that Jethro had just decided for them when they’d fix things, and how, and brought his boss into it. Maybe it should have been romantic. But it felt wrong.

He pulled up a cold case and told himself he’d just review the notes for a few minutes to get his head out of the downward spiral before he headed home.

*****

Jethro’s chest constricted and he clenched and unclenched his jaw as he accepted his fate. Maybe it was too late. Maybe he wouldn’t even make it to divorce number 4. He cursed his age as the emotions cracked the surface and a single tear slid down his cheek. He extinguished the single candle that was still fighting for life and wrapped the pot roast and fixings, with a note on the fridge for Katherine and Abby to enjoy it tomorrow night. He pulled out a fresh bottle of bourbon and headed for the basement, leaving a trail of clothes behind him—his tie, jacket and shoes were left on the first floor, and he hung his shirt on the railing in the basement. In his socks, dress pants, and undershirt, he sat on a sawhorse in the basement and drowned his sorrows, falling asleep—or passing out, who was counting?—with his head pillowed on his forearm.

Tony opened his door and was shocked at what he found. Jethro never left the place in disarray, but now…clothes on the floor told him where he’d gone, the smell of beef and extinguished candles told him he’d missed a well-planned dinner. Stepping over the clothes, he headed for the kitchen and saw the roast, potatoes/carrots/onions, gravy, and salad all neatly separated on the shelf in the fridge—none of it eaten. The table had a nice tablecloth, now stained with wax that had spilled as the candles burned to nothing. He heard soft music playing on repeat, his favorite album. Jethro had waited. At least three hours, if he was right about the candles. He kicked himself. Maybe Jethro hadn’t been right to manipulate this whole thing, but he’d been cruel, wallowing in his anger at work when at least Jethro was making an effort. He followed the trail of clothes that told him he’d even dressed in his nicest suit. A purple silk tie, one Tony had purchased for him, was carefully draped across the arm of the couch. The shoes were tossed in the general direction of the front door. The jacket dropped on the floor by the coat closet. He pushed the basement door open and heard the raspy snores that told him Jethro had fallen asleep, drunk, in an awkward position. He knew him that well.

“Hey,” he whispered, touching Jethro’s shoulder with a gentle, but firm grip. Jethro just grumbled and pulled away. “Come on. Our bed is better than a sawhorse.” He shook Jethro and stroked his hair.

“no…’s too late…second b bastard…” Jethro mumbled, and Tony looked to the ceiling, his heart aching to fix this.

“J, come on, I love this bastard.” Tony cooed, trying to pull Jethro out of his drunken sleep enough to bring him upstairs.

“hates me…didn’t wanna be ex wife 4…”Jethro kept talking in his sleep. Tony realized he wasn’t getting him up any time soon, much less up two flights of stairs. He straightened and saw the cot in the corner. As much as he hated the cot and how often Jethro had slept in it, he sighed and pulled it out into the middle of the floor.

“come on, ya drunk.” Tony tucked his arms under Jethro’s and pulled him up until he opened his eyes.

“Good dream.” Jethro smiled and tried to kiss him.

“Oh no, not that kinda dream, sailor. Sleep.” He lowered Jethro onto the cot on his side and pulled the blanket over him. He stood to leave and heard a sniffle. Not something he ever expected, he turned and saw a streak of a tear running across the bridge of Jethro’s nose. “Hey, sleep, OK? I’ll check on you soon enough.” He kissed Jethro’s forehead and felt a hand on his arm.

“Hate sleeping alone.”

Tony hated it too. He’d slept alone for so many years, even most of the time he dated Wendy and Jeanne, but now he craved that closeness. He looked at the military cot and sighed. This was going to be interesting.

*****

Jethro groaned at his stiff and sore muscles as a streak of light glared into his eyes. “Shiiiit.” He tried to stretch, but the hand around his waist tightened and he froze. Looking down, he saw the familiar honey brown skin, the thin, swiss-made watch, and the hand that was wrapped around him wore the ring he’d bought all those months ago. Tony was here. He’d come home. He’d found him passed out drunk in the basement, the epitome of the asshole he was. Great start to this weekend. He tried to wriggle free, but Tony pulled him back.

“You guilted me into this cot, you’re not leaving until I say.” He mumbled, and Jethro sighed. He placed his arm and hand over Tony’s and settled his back against the man he loved. They’d probably fight about last night, but for now, his heart was feeling more settled than it had in a long time.

Almost an hour later, Tony patted Jethro’s hip to wake him, “OK, nature calls, you gotta get up first.” Jethro groaned and stumbled out of the tiny cot, followed by Tony. The pair stumbled upstairs to the bathroom and took care of business, then Jethro started a shower. Tony stood at the sink and thought about what to do. “want company?” He asked quietly, and Jethro pulled the curtain back just enough to stick his hand out and pull Tony inside. Tony let Jethro wash him, paying special attention to his hair, and making sure he didn’t push anything sexual. He appreciated that, Jethro wasn’t looking to get some, he was actually trying to take care of Tony. He returned the favor, and before the water went cold, he placed a gentle kiss to Jethro’s lips. Jethro returned the kiss, at equal intensity, letting Tony lead, until it was time to leave the shower.

They toweled off and dressed separately, Tony taking his cues from Jethro, just in case they followed through on whatever plans Jethro had made for them for this weekend. Jeans and a t-shirt it was. Before Tony could speak, Jethro sat on their bed, waiting. Tony joined him. “Last night…”

Jethro swallowed, “I shouldn’t have gotten so drunk. You didn’t need to stay.”

Tony was taken aback at the quiet admission, the almost-apology. This was not the Jethro he knew. “No, you shouldn’t, and no, I didn’t. But I shouldn’t have stayed at work when I knew you had something planned. I wasn’t happy you’d gone over my head and just assumed I’d be fine with it, but I didn’t have to stay at work. I should have come home to you.”

Jethro nodded and took Tony’s hand, rubbing his thumb across its back. “I planned a mini vacation. If you want. I’d like it to be a surprise, but I don’t want to force anything right now. We need to talk, and if you’d rather do it here, then that’s ok. I can cancel everything, or give Abby and Katherine the vacation, and we can just stay home.”

Tony thought about it. “Give me a clue before I decide…”

Jethro smirked a little, “ever heard of the term ‘glamping’?” Tony shook his head. “Picture yourself enjoying a camping trip…THAT’S glamping. A little rustic, a little luxury, all rolled into one.”

“Something for both of us?” Tony asked, and Jethro nodded. “OK. But if there’s spiders, I’m done.”

“Deal.” Jethro ginned widely.

“Can I ask a favor?” Tony said, seriously, “I know we need to talk. But…can we pretend, just for today, that we don’t? That we’re happy and carefree and just enjoy the trip and each other until tomorrow at least?”

Jethro stood, pulling Tony up and into an embrace, “yes. Yes.”

An hour later, the pair grabbed their bags and slid their good rings into the wooden box for safekeeping, locking them in the safe in the coat closet. The plain silver bands Jethro had purchased the day before securely on their fingers.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh my god. What happened to ‘glamping’? We’ve hiked for an HOUR!” Tony whined, “I think I have blisters. Or shin splints. Plantar fasciitis. Heat exhaustion…”  
  
Jethro laughed heartily, “come on, you work out every day, you can’t handle a 45 minute hike through the woods?”  
  
“An HOUR! At least! And no! If you lied to me and I have to wipe my ass with leaves, I’m SO kicking your ass.”  
  
“It’s been 43 minutes since we left the car, Tony. And we’re here.” Jethro was the first to enter the clearing, and Tony bumped into him when he stopped. There, about 25 feet in front of them was a tent. Not just any tent, it was huge and built on a solid wood platform foundation. And gorgeous. And it had lights. It was almost civilized! Tony sighed in relief and headed for the deck that stretched around two sides and had a beautiful view of the valley below.  
  
“The view IS amazing, I’ll give you that,” Tony said as he leaned on the railing. Jethro stood behind him and hummed his agreement. Tony looked over his shoulder and snorted, “THAT view, horn dog.”  
  
Jethro glanced up, “oh, yeah, trees.” He stepped forward and settled his hands on Tony’s lower back, fingers slightly brushing the top of Tony’s ass, “I like this view better.” It felt good to joke like this, to comfortably flirt back and forth with no pressure to perform, no groping, no urgency, no uncomfortable silence.  
  
After watching the view for a while, Jethro brought the food into the kitchen and pulled out the foil meals he’d made. The tent had a small fridge and a cooktop, but he had to at least pretend to be camping by cooking over the fire. Tony pulled the bags into the back of the tent  with the king 4-poster bed, where he found a flap he could close, dividing the tent into two separate areas. “It’s a tent with a BEDROOM!” He exclaimed, and Jethro snorted.

“You should see the bathroom.” 

Tony peeked his head through the joint where the flaps met, “you're kidding...there's a REAL bathroom here? Not just a freezing cold stream?” 

Jethro nodded. “Hot tub out back, with a full bathroom attached. Shower and jet tub both big enough for two.”

Tony's jaw dropped. “If you're pulling my leg…" 

Jethro smiled, “nope. Picked it just for you.” 

Tony squealed and ran, naked, for the back of the tent. Then he stopped, “wait...how close are our neighbors?” 

“Animal or human?”

“The kind who'd care if I'm traipsing around in my birthday suit.” Tony said, propping his hands on his hips, exasperated.

“Miles. Go soak, I'll start a fire and join you.” 

Jethro started dinner and stripped as quickly as he could. They sank into the hot tub and laughed and snuggled and kissed, until the timer on Jethro's phone went off indicating that dinner should be done. They grabbed their towels and ate dinner on the Adirondack chairs on the deck. Tony looked down at the side of one of the chairs and grinned, “now I know how you found this place.” He pointed to the familiar symbol burned into the wood. 

“Yeah, they have 10 of these sites in these woods. Ordered 20 chairs and 10 center tables to match a few months ago before they opened for the season.” Jethro was fairly certain it was the last large order he’d filled. 

The rest of the evening went well, and they worked together as if nothing had changed over the past year. Cleanup and closing up the tent went quickly, they crawled into bed and gently kissed, letting things run their course, and made love in the giant bed that seemed so much larger than theirs at home. Tony turned his back to his lover as he fell asleep, and this time Jethro took it as an invitation to curl against him and pull him close instead of being brushed off. “I love you. So much.” Jethro whispered into Tony's ear. “We’ll fix this. We’re stronger than that.”

Tony's heart clenched and he nodded, pressing further back against Jethro, and for the first time in weeks fell asleep safe and secure in his favorite place.

Until he heard skittering across the nightstand next to his head.

Tony’s eyes fluttered open and at first, he thought Kali had somehow stowed aboard their luggage. He saw a pointy face and beady eyes staring at him. Except this was a very pointy nose...and very beady eyes...and…

“Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” Tony jumped back behind Jethro in one swoop, taking most of the sheets and blankets with him, crouching behind his fiancée and gripping the headboard. Jethro reached for his sidearm under his pillow and aimed it at the intruder blearily until he started laughing. Hysterically. 

“Tony? Seriously?” He couldn't stop the waves of hilarity rolling off him as the tiny raccoon sat atop Tony's nightstand chewing on the apple core he’d left on the napkin. “It’s a baby!” Jethro's stomach aches from the exertion, and his face hurt. Tony still sat behind him.

“Yes, seriously. Get it out. Getitoutgetitoutgetitout!” Tony shuddered and clung to the headboard as the raccoon innocently chomped on the apple core. 

Jethro sighed and stood, shooing the small beast back out the tear in the canvas he’d come through. “Have to fix that up for them on the morning.” He said, brushing his hands on his thighs. When he looked up, Tony was standing in front of him with a roll of duct tape. 

“Not tomorrow.” He pushed past Jethro and yanked a huge strip of tape from the roll, then handed it back to Jethro, “you do the outside.”

“Me? Now? Why me? I'm not the one freaked out by an innocent little baby!” Jethro snickered.

“Shut it. Tape.” Tony’s tone told Jethro the time for jokes was over. He took the roll as Tony secured his pieces across the slit and made sure nothing more was entering their tent.

Settling back into bed, Jethro pulled Tony close. “Hey, I'm serious, you face down murderers and really awful people, what's so bad about a baby raccoon?”

Tony started to pull away, but Jethro wasn't giving in. “No more jokes, J.” Tony wasn’t in the mood to be mocked.  
  
“No more jokes.” Jethro affirmed, “Just concerned. You really freaked.”  
  
Tony shook his head, “I hate weasels. Raccoons are close enough. Just like the human variety, they’re sneaky, they look all innocent and cute, but you never know what to expect. Maybe they’ll go along their way and leave you alone. Maybe they’ll snap and eat your face. Like the rabbit in ‘monty python’---‘Lookit tha bones!’” He tried for a joke, but fell flat. “Weasels are like the con men of the animal world.”  
  
Tony hated con men. Especially since his father fit that mold. He’d been better lately, a little, but Tony kept getting his hopes up, only to have them dashed soon thereafter. So Tony hated weasels.  
  
“OK.” Jethro stroked his hand up and down Tonys chest and belly, accepting his answer and letting Tony feel his love through his touch. _Still funny, though_ , he thought, but he’d keep that under wraps until they were on more stable ground.  
  
They didn’t wake until the sun was warming the tent. Instead of Jethro jumping to make coffee, or Tony jumping for a quick run, the pair stayed in bed, snuggling and nuzzling and kissing for well over an hour. When they finally emerged, Tony made use of the gorgeously appointed bathroom built off the back of the tent, while Jethro chose to be closer to nature by making use of the bushes to relieve himself. He washed his hands in the water from the pump well, then wrangled some eggs and bacon for breakfast, and put the percolator over the fire for coffee. He spread a thick blanket on the ground and lounged until Tony emerged, more relaxed than he’d seen in a long time. He flopped onto the blanket next to Jethro, long legs draped across Jethro’s calves. Jethro handed him the metal plate piled with food, and they ate in silence, keeping their bodies touching at all times. When they finished, Jethro scraped the food bits into a pile to toss into the woods before they returned to the tent, and turned to Tony.  
  
Tony didn’t want to talk. Not yet. He wanted Jethro. He just… _wanted_. The look in his eyes told Jethro all he needed to know, and the two kissed for what seemed like eternity. Slowly, they built up steam and soon were lying against each other, listening to their heart beats steadily coming down from their mutual release.  
  
Having Tony lying against his chest, gently stroking his hair, was the best feeling in the world for Jethro. He never wanted it to end.  
  
End. Ending this.  
  
He hated to ruin the moment, but the thought of losing these moments felt like a knife to the heart.  
  
“I’ve been an ass.”  
  
“mmmmhmmm.” Tony nodded slightly, still coming down from the orgasmic high of a few moments before.  
  
“I’m sorry, Tony. The easiest thing to fix is the working. I’ve ignored you, I’ve ignored Anna. My family. So, I won’t be taking more than one case a month. I put my foot down and tried to remove the temptation.”  
  
Tony arched his neck to look up into Jethro’s eyes, “You just broke rule 6.”  
  
“I did. Been hiding my weaknesses for too long, Tone. And if it helps us, I’ll break whatever rules I need to.” Jethro smiled at the fact that Tony hadn’t acknowledged his admissions, just his rule breaking. “But I mean it. One case a month. And eventually, they’ll probably forget about me. Maybe that’s why I kept going back.” The revelation hit him…he didn’t _want_ to be forgotten. To be thrown out to pasture. To be the irrelevant old geezer everyone was intimidated by, but nobody respected anymore, like Mike Franks.  
  
“ _We_ won’t forget about you, babe.” Tony pulled himself up to kiss Jethro and rested his head on the blanket next to his lover’s. “Who’s important, really? Tom Morrow? Ian Edgerton? The FBI? CIA? Do they matter, long term?”  
  
Jethro stroked Tony’s cheek with his thumb. He was right, logically, but it wasn’t easy to admit he WAS getting older, and he HAD made the choice to go. “No, they don’t. But sometimes I forget that. It’s not as easy a transition as I thought it’d be, and I let a lot of things go. I made a lot of crap choices that pushed you away. I just hope I can prove to you I never really wanted that. I never want to let you go.”  
  
Tony fought the tears he’d felt rise and fall multiple times these past few weeks. He wanted to believe Jethro. He wanted everything to go back to how it was a year ago. “I haven’t reacted the best either, you know.”  
  
“I know. We’re a pair, aren’t we?” Jethro huffed, a small sad smile on his face.  
  
“This weekend isn’t going to make it all better.” Tony said, “as much as I wish it could.” He let one tear escape, trying to subtly wipe his cheek on the blanket.  
  
“But it’s a start. It’s a jump start. Like you said in the beginning, neither of us wants you to be ex-wife number 4. And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let you go without a fight, especially before we’re even married.”  
  
Tony wrapped his arms around Jethro as best he could while still lying on their sides and pulled himself closer. They fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms under the warm sun. When they woke, Jethro took Tony out on the small power boat and they tried fishing again, and this time it was Tony who triumphantly caught a fish large enough for dinner. They laughed, Tony sang and played some Beatles tunes on the guitar Jethro had thought to bring, they made s’mores, and they made love on the blanket under the stars.  
  
The weekend would be over tomorrow, and it’d be back to the real world, but this had been perfection, Tony thought, as he snuggled against Jethro in the big bed with the impossibly soft sheets and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Again, he was awakened by a noise. Something else had entered the tent. Expecting another tiny vermin, Tony flung open his eyes to find a large, damp nose just a few inches from his face. _Hoooolllleeeee Shiiiittt!!_ he thought, as he looked past the nose to meet the eyes of a very large, very tense canid. Grey wolf, possibly, judging by his size. “Shhhhhhhh, ‘s OK buddy…” Tony cooed to the animal, who tipped his head slightly at the sound. Tony watched his body language as he tapped Jethro insistently. “it’s all good. Here for the fish? Should have tossed the leftovers, huh?” He kept talking, hoping the monotone sound would keep the intruder calm until they could come up with a solution. He poked Jethro, harder, and he sat up quickly. The wolf tensed and leaned back on his haunches, and Tony hushed him and calmed him while Jethro slid his pistol from under the pillow. Tony shot him a look and pushed the gun back where it was. The two men slid from the bed across from the animal, and circled the room. Tony reached into the fridge and pulled out the pack of sausages that were supposed to be for breakfast. He tossed half of one to the wolf, who ate it greedily. He tossed another half slightly across the room. The wolf followed, until Tony threw the remaining 4 sausages out the front flap of the tent and sighed as their ‘guest’ slipped through the crack and disappeared into the early morning darkness. Tony zipped the tent shut (apparently they’d forgotten that little tidbit in their distraction) and flopped onto the floor.  
  
Jethro sat next to him and sighed. “How come you can keep a WOLF from killing us, but you freak at a weaselly raccoon baby?”  
  
Tony smirked, “I’m used to dealing with predators. I can read them. That one was no different.”  
  
“But it was a BABY!” Jethro was still shocked at this whole wolf situation, but still…a baby…  
  
“And it was still a weasel! You said you wouldn’t mock me!” Tony pouted.  
  
Jethro chuckled and pulled Tony practically into his lap, “Tone, it wouldn’t be ME if I didn’t give as good as I get. You saved our asses, and his too cuz I was gonna shoot him. I’m not mocking that.”  
  
Tony’s eyes narrowed, “Yeah, what the hell, you were gonna shoot an innocent, hungry animal? Maybe he had babies to feed!”  
  
Jethro hugged him, “I love you, Anthony DiNozzo.” He couldn't help but feel like one of the predators Tony was used to dealing with was himself.  
  
The morning went just as the last one, except they had no sausages. Jethro fried up the last of the bacon and some ham he’d bought for sandwiches, and made pancakes and eggs, then joined Tony in the hot tub. They made the best of their time, then packed quickly and headed home. On the way, Tony laced his fingers with Jethro’s and brought up the elephant in the room again.  
  
“Maybe we can’t fix this ourselves.”  
  
Jethro swallowed hard. “I don’t need a shrink, Tony.”  
  
“Except maybe we do. Someone outside who can see through our bullshit. Call us both on it.”  
  
Jethro’s jaw clenched. He hated counseling. He knew Tony hated shrinks and knew how to manipulate them—he could pass a psych eval even if he had schizophrenia. “I’m not faking it with some shrink just to prove myself, if that’s what you’re asking.”  
  
Tony didn’t let himself cave. It was like the mountaintop vacation had kept all their euphoria and the further away they got, the closer to the past few weeks they were getting. But logic told him this wasn’t a magic pill. Jethro was still Jethro, and he hated counseling. He’d never gone willingly, so of course this wouldn’t be easy. He took a shaky breath, “I don’t want you to fake it. I want it to be real. We can’t just go on little vacations and then expect everything in between to be hunky dory.” He squeezed Jethro’s now-clammy hand. “Please, J. Let’s be proactive. Let’s talk to someone who can help us, who won’t judge us, who has no agenda. You wanted to fight for me, for us, so do it.”  
  
Jethro glanced at their hands, still entwined and resting on the armrest between them. He’d vowed to fight, and if this was a way to do it…”OK.” He nodded, “OK, let’s do it.”  
  
They worked out the details, and Tony figured it might go over better if Jethro chose where they went. He vowed to call people on Monday during Anna’s nap, and Tony grinned. As they slid into their own bed and began to drift off to sleep, Tony heard his phone buzzing. “what the f---DiNozzo.” He barked as he answered. He checked the clock…one am. Technically Monday. Of frickin’ course.  
  
” _DiNozzo, we need you. Now.”_  
  
“Director, what’s going on?” His voice was urgent, raspy and Tony bolted upright in bed. Normally his calls came from dispatch, not the director of the entire agency.  
  
” _Just get here. It’s not good. I already called your team_.” *click*  
  
That was when Tony heard crying from the other side of the house, and Abby apologizing profusely for waking the baby as she ran out the door. Katherine stood  at the top of the stairs bouncing Anna as she watched Tony kiss Jethro deeply, stroke his cheek, then follow, running at breakneck speed for his car.  
  
Jethro ached to call Vance and offer assistance. But this was a test. Sure, Tony could probably use his help. But he didn’t NEED it. Whatever this was, he could handle this on his own, with his elite team and all the resources available to him. If he wanted to help Tony, he’d do what he’d promised. He’d keep his word. He joined Katherine in the living room and took Anna from her, letting her go back to sleep since she had to work in the morning. “Dada’s here, baby girl,” he whispered, “I’m here. I’m not goin’ anywhere.” And he meant it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, 'glamping' is basically 'camping' in luxury. Sure, there's a tent or a rustic feeling cabin, and a fire pit, but it's got fancy stuff too that make it feel like some kind of paradise.


End file.
